The prestigious consultancy I didn’t fit

01Lived

A lot of people see consulting as a prestigious thing, and I don’t disagree, but plenty of them also assume it’s something they could naturally do. Having lived it, I think you have to be a very special kind of person to be a successful consultant, because above everything else it is team play. I was excited to work at what was probably one of the most innovative boutique innovation consultancies in the UK at the time, possibly in Europe, possibly in the world, surrounded by high-achievers, and I just didn’t fit. I was smart enough. The issue is that I’m always pushing ahead of the curve, at the frontier of thinking, and in that world clients are reluctant to take significant risks with their own money and reputation. That leaves you with a choice: spend your time trying to fit in, or move out. I moved out.